Chapter 169: The Shattered Mirror Immortal

"Chief Xia Hong, all of us over three thousand have never worshipped the Mirror Immortal. The other nine thousand in the camp have already been bewitched into suicide—it must be preparing some ritual. Be careful!"

Hearing Yuwen Tao's voice, Xia Hong's pupils sharply contracted.

In fact, he had already been at the Mirror Immortal's encampment for a while; unsure of the internal situation, he had taken other precautions first to ensure safety, which delayed him.

In just this short time, over nine thousand people had all been bewitched into suicide!

Of course, though startled, Xia Hong immediately responded to Yuwen Tao's warning, replying gravely with gratitude: "Thank you, Brother Yuwen. Take these three thousand and flee first—I'll handle this demon!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tao's face instantly lit up with relief.

His first words had made it clear: his three thousand men were uncorrupted, and he feared Xia Hong and the others might mistake them for allies of the demon and block their escape.

Xia Hong clearly understood his meaning and directly told them to leave.

The three thousand had already regained their senses; the front ranks were already running like headless flies out of the tunnel. Yuwen Tao glanced at the sky, then at the rest of the Great Xia forces, and immediately gave orders.

"Uncle Hong, take these people to the outer edge of the Arrow Bamboo Grove, find cover, don't enter the grove, and don't go too far. Everyone else stays with me—we'll help Great Xia."

Around him now stood forty-one others, all Foundation Establishment cultivators. Among them, Hong Guang, Hong Tian, Meng Yi, Zhu Ling, and Zhu Yuan were even stronger than him—they were all former subordinates of his father, Yuwen the Guardian.

"Tao, we just barely escaped… Can these few Great Xia people really defeat He Yuanhun? Why not all of us flee together?"

Hong Guang was about to turn and leave, but after glancing at the Great Xia group, he furrowed his brow and immediately warned Yuwen Tao.

The other four—Hong Tian, Meng Yi, and the rest—though silent, also frowned after looking at the Great Xia contingent, clearly agreeing with Hong Guang's suggestion.

Great Xia had only sixty-seven people total. Aside from Xia Hong, whose strength they couldn't fathom, the rest hadn't even reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Just moments ago, their own three thousand had nearly been bewitched into suicide. How could these few Great Xia people possibly fight He Yuanhun?

Yuwen Tao hesitated only a moment, then spoke firmly:

"Dawn is coming. With three thousand people, we couldn't run far. Besides, if He Yuanhun wins, we're all dead anyway—we must stay and help them."

"Don't you remember who forced He Yuanhun into this state? Don't underestimate Great Xia. They dared to chase here—they must have confidence. Listen to me, don't waste time. Uncle Hong, go quickly—the front group is already scattering."

Everyone was instantly jolted awake by Yuwen Tao's words, their expressions changing.

"Fine, I'm going now!"

After speaking, Hong Guang turned first and rushed toward the front of the crowd.

The others, now realizing the situation, followed closely behind Yuwen Tao, moving toward the position of the Great Xia group.

"This is congealed fire oil—apply it to your weapons, it can harm demons."

As Yuwen Tao approached, before he could speak, Xia Chuan, who was already shooting arrows, tossed him a leather sack.

Opening the sack, he saw black lumps the size of fists inside. Realizing this was likely Great Xia's divine weapon against demons, Yuwen Tao's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately began distributing it to those around him.

Seeing Great Xia's example, Yuwen Tao's group began coating their weapons and iron arrows with the oil. Once done, they joined Xia Chuan and the others in continuously shooting arrows at the ancient mirror in the sky.

Xia Chuan, who had moved to the front, glanced at Yuwen Tao and showed a flicker of approval.

Brother's words were right—he really is clever!

He had heard Yuwen Tao's earlier words.

"Nine thousand people all died beside the bamboo pavilion?"

At the front of the crowd, after firing half a quiver of arrows, Xia Hong turned to ask Yuwen Tao.

Yuwen Tao nodded quickly: "Most of them, though some probably died before even reaching the pavilion…"

As soon as he answered, he realized why Xia Hong asked—immediately adding: "He Yuanhun just tried to bewitch our three thousand into suicide too. He must still be severely wounded. Whatever those nine thousand were meant for, they haven't recovered yet!"

Smart people communicate efficiently.

Xia Hong's expression shifted, and he immediately ordered the group:

"All of you, follow me inside. Keep only half a quiver of arrows. Proceed with caution!"

Hearing this, Xia Chuan and the others nodded, slung their iron bows onto their backs, drew their waist blades, and followed Xia Hong into the Mirror Immortal's encampment through the tunnel.

"Ugh… … Ah… …"

Above the bamboo pavilion, the flames on the two mirrors still burned, thick black smoke continuously pouring from below, shrouding the entire basin.

Even though Xia Hong's group had stopped shooting, He Yuanhun's screams of agony never ceased.

"Congealed fire oil ignites on contact with demons. Those two mirrors must be the Mirror Immortal's true body—meaning He Yuanhun is being controlled!"

Leading the charge into the encampment, Xia Hong looked up at the two eerie mirrors above the pavilion. A faint glint flashed in his pupils, and he suddenly swung his long knife sideways.

Clang…

An iron arrow fell to the ground, struck down by Xia Hong's blade. Instantly, hundreds of people burst out from nearby wooden huts.

Each held a large blade, expressionless, appearing like puppets on strings—yet their movements were swift, rushing forward to block Xia Hong's group.

Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…

Not only the hundred who rushed out, but also hundreds of silver pupils glowed from the shadows of the upper levels of the huts, followed by thousands of iron arrows suddenly launched at them.

"Take cover—they're all Foundation Establishment!"

After blocking the first iron arrow, Xia Hong swiftly drew his blade and met the two attackers head-on. His ceremonial knife swung cleanly, severing both heads—but realizing their base strength exceeded ten thousand jin, his expression changed sharply, and he shouted a warning to Xia Chuan and the others behind him.

"They were all ordinary camp members before—just now they all killed themselves. He Yuanhun revived and controlled them."

Yuwen Tao's reminder was unnecessary. Seeing the number of people in the huts, Xia Hong already had his answer.

The Mirror Immortal's camp had originally had only three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now, the wooden huts on both sides held at least five or six hundred—clearly impossible.

"Follow me!"

Xia Hong moved like lightning, his ceremonial knife flashing as it cut through dozens of arrows and slew over ten men blocking his path.

Whenever his blade struck the eyes of those enemies, their heads instantly ignited—exactly as before in the valley.

Breaking through the human wall ahead, Xia Hong led the group straight into a wooden hut on the left.

Huh…

The instant he kicked open the door, dozens of blade flashes surged toward him.

Xia Hong, prepared, used refined force to kick the door forward.

With normal strength, his kick would have shattered the door—but with refined force, the entire door flew backward, slamming into the dozens of people behind it and crushing them against the wall.

Boom…

With a thunderous crash, a large section of the wall collapsed.

The front row struck directly by the door shattered into pieces, unrecognizable; even those merely caught in the shockwave spewed blood across the floor, utterly incapacitated.

"This…"

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other Great Xia Foundation Establishment cultivators had already witnessed Xia Hong's strength in the valley—this sight didn't surprise them.

But Yuwen Tao, Hong Guang, and the other forty Foundation Establishment cultivators were stunned—they all sucked in sharp breaths, staring at Xia Hong with awe and shock.

Many of them had seen Xia Hong's battle with Yuwen the Guardian before.

Back then, Xia Hong had nearly gotten Yuwen the Guardian into trouble through sheer boldness—but at best, their strengths were evenly matched.

But this scene was different.

A hundred men charging, and Xia Hong calmly broke through—fine. But kicking the door so hard it sent dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators flying, killing and maiming them? That wasn't just raw strength—it required more.

After all, it was just a wooden door. Even a Timber-Cutting cultivator with a greatsword could have shattered it. And behind that door were dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Unbroken Qi Skin, muscle and bone control—this is the ability only achieved after fully refining the skin and breaking through to the Cold-Resistant level. Breaking through isn't surprising, but to defeat He Yuanhun, who possesses Three-Mane strength, immediately after breaking through? Could Xia Hong be a Super-Class Battle Body?"

Yuwen Tao's pupils narrowed. He recalled his father's words: a Super-Class Battle Body, upon breakthrough, would have base strength surge to at least Three-Mane. Looking at Xia Hong, his eyes filled with envy.

Not just him—Hong Guang, Hong Tian, and the other four older men noticed that when Xia Hong exerted force, not a single ripple moved across his body or muscles. They instantly understood—and their expressions mirrored Yuwen Tao's.

"A Super-Class Battle Body is extremely rare even in village-level camps. For such a small place as Redwood Ridge to produce one? It's unthinkable!"

………………

"Upstairs!"

Xia Hong had no idea what Yuwen Tao and the others were thinking.

In this short time, he and Xia Chuan's group had already cleared the entire wooden hut—over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators hiding inside had all been slaughtered.

Leading the group up to the rooftop, they saw more and more figures pouring in from all directions. Everyone's expressions tightened.

"Brother, look at the bamboo pavilion…"

Xia Chuan seemed to have noticed something more critical. At his cue, everyone turned—and their scalps prickled.

Though this hut stood at the encampment's outer edge, it was only two or three hundred meters from the bamboo pavilion—close enough to see clearly.

The flames above the two mirrors still burned.

He Yuanhun's screams still hadn't stopped.

But so too had the light emitted by the two mirrors.

The right mirror, as if deliberately controlled, emitted a dark black glow that pulsed rhythmically onto the corpses on the ground.

The bodies lying motionless beside the pavilion, struck by the dark light, twitched violently—then, as if revived, rose to their feet and turned their gaze toward the wooden hut where Xia Hong's group stood.

"So this is how they're revived!"

Xia Hong's heart trembled slightly—these were all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If all nine thousand were revived, even if he were stronger, he'd surely die here today.

"Brother, congealed fire oil can only suppress—they don't seem enough to kill. More and more are reviving. We can't delay any longer. Go ahead, we'll hold them here!"

Seeing the growing number of revived corpses below the pavilion, Yuwen Tao was about to urge Xia Hong to retreat—but before he could speak, Xia Chuan spoke first.

Hearing Xia Chuan's words, Yuwen Tao's expression jolted—he turned to Xia Hong.

What hidden ability did Xia Hong still hold?

"Alright!"

Xia Hong didn't waste words. He turned toward the bamboo pavilion, pupils narrowing slightly, and leapt straight out the window, charging toward the pavilion.

"Aaaah… …"

Whether because he noticed Xia Hong charging toward him or not, He Yuanhun's screams grew louder—and the revived corpses surged from all directions, surrounding Xia Hong.

Clearly, they were all trying to stop him from advancing toward the bamboo tower.

Xia Hong's gaze turned slightly colder; he pulled dozens of blocks of congealed fire oil from his robe and hurled them forward, while his Yi Dao swiftly sliced through them.

Boom…………

His body shot forward like lightning; as he raced toward the bamboo tower, the Yi Dao rapidly cut and liquefied the congealed fire oil ahead, leaving behind a trail of black oily mist.

Ah…………

Once the congealed fire oil had vaporized, the monsters blocking him could no longer resist so easily—they lacked much intelligence to begin with, and many of their silver-white pupils, splattered by the mist, instantly burst into flames.

Those not hit by the mist couldn't withstand Xia Hong's Yi Dao either.

Shhh…………

With Xia Hong's terrifying strength and extreme speed, his blade slashed left and right without pause; men and horses tumbled everywhere as he carved a bloody path straight through hundreds and thousands of people, closing in on the bamboo tower.

In an instant, the distance between him and the bamboo tower shrank to less than a hundred meters. Entering the hundred-meter range, Xia Hong glanced back at the wooden hut where Xia Chuan and the others were stationed—he saw even more monsters rushing toward it, his pupils narrowing slightly.

"It can't be delayed any longer!"

Xia Hong turned his gaze once more to the two mirrors above the bamboo tower, and his spirit stirred.

A circular furnace over a meter in diameter suddenly appeared before him.

The moment the furnace appeared, the two mirrors in the sky seemed to sense something—their light abruptly flickered and stalled.

Though they were merely mirrors, Xia Hong clearly sensed fear emanating from them, and a cold smile touched his lips.

Sssss…………

The Iron Smelter emitted two faint sounds as flames slowly ignited within.

Boom…………

The instant the flames roared inside the Iron Smelter, the fires beneath the two mirrors surged upward several times in intensity, and He Yuanhun's screams grew even more agonized.

=9+book_bar

Meanwhile, those who had just revived seemed drained of strength; they froze for several seconds, their silver-white pupils began oozing fluid, and their faces slowly twisted in agony.

"Ah………… Ah………… Ah………………"

From the mirrors suspended in midair came He Yuanhun's pained cries. Seeing the right beam of light strike the top floor of the bamboo tower, Xia Hong hesitated no longer—he dropped low, sprinted to the tower's side, leapt up, and landed on the third floor, charging inside.

Shhh…………

The instant he neared the bamboo tower, the snow-white bamboo stalks along the outer wall seemed to come alive, shedding their snow cover to reveal layers of sharp thorns.

Each thorn measured over ten centimeters, densely packed and razor-sharp, lashing out in all directions without discrimination—Xia Hong, rushing toward the interior, was immediately engulfed by them.

As the thorns struck, Xia Hong's expression flickered slightly; he slashed away several with his Yi Dao, felt their impact force was less than ten thousand jin, then abandoned the blade entirely and kept charging inward.

Jing…… Jing…… Jing…………

The dense thorns struck Xia Hong's body as if hitting a wall of bronze and iron—leaving not even a single white mark on his skin, simply falling to the ground.

Having now reached the interior, Xia Hong finally saw He Yuanhun.

He lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his eyes as he screamed in agony. When he saw Xia Hong enter, he lifted his head slightly, gazing at him with pure venom.

Two silver-white pupils oozed thick black smoke from between his fingers, with flickering flames within—identical to those in the mirrors above.

The beam of light from the left mirror enveloped him.

That beam carried a strange, searing heat; it had cracked his entire body. His face, hands, neck—every exposed patch of skin—was riddled with countless fissures.

Seeing those cracks, Xia Hong instantly understood.

The left mirror was the source of the demonic light.

His left arm had been struck by it before.

"Ji ji ji ji ji ji, you're late, you're late, you're too late, hahaha, you're too late!"

He Yuanhun suddenly seemed possessed, laughing maniacally.

He released his hands—his once-silver-white pupils had returned to normal, and the cracks across his body rapidly healed. His triumphant posture, paired with the utterly evil grin on his face, sent chills down the spine.

Xia Hong's gaze sharpened; he could scarcely connect this creature with the refined, gentle, courteous Gao Yu who had visited Great Xia last month.

"Your black oily substance and that furnace only suppress me—they can't kill me. Your super-class battle body, your six-mane power—I truly underestimated you. But now, you can't defeat me, you can't defeat me, hahahaha…………"

Xia Hong let He Yuanhun laugh wildly, merely watching him coldly.

"You and He Yuanhun are one being, yet two distinct entities, correct?"

He Yuanhun—or rather, the Mirror Immortal—froze. Seeing no fear on Xia Hong's face, he felt as if he'd punched cotton.

His arrogance and triumph now seemed like a joke before Xia Hong.

This demeanor felt strangely familiar.

"Why aren't you afraid? Why aren't you afraid? Die! Die!"

As if struck at a nerve, the Mirror Immortal roared in fury, stomping hard on the ground—the entire bamboo tower trembled.

Countless snow-white bamboo leaves tore free from the walls.

They hung motionless in midair for a moment.

The next instant, the Mirror Immortal lunged straight at Xia Hong.

His speed was astonishing; the violent air current from his charge set every suspended leaf into motion.

As he charged, his left pupil flared—each time it glanced at a leaf, the leaf transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Xia Hong.

Shhh…… Shhh…… Shhh…………

In an instant, the room was filled with streaks of light—everywhere, white trails of rushing bamboo leaves.

Xia Hong's Yi Dao danced rapidly, slicing through leaves while his body twisted and dodged—but even so, some parts of him were grazed, leaving thin, sharp wounds.

"These bamboo leaves…………"

While frantically dodging, Xia Hong glanced down at his forearm—seeing the cuts made by the leaves, his pupils flashed with shock.

After completing his skin membrane reshaping, his enhancements weren't limited to base strength.

He knew exactly how tough his skin membrane had become.

He knew the Mirror Immortal's left-eye demonic light could pierce his left arm.

But even the bamboo leaves he controlled possessed such terrifying power!

Bang…………

While dodging the leaves, the Mirror Immortal had already reached him.

In his hand now appeared a longsword, pitch-black as ink.

The sword emerged without a sound; when it pierced toward Xia Hong's heart, it remained utterly silent—only upon touching his skin did it emit the rustling sound of leaves brushing through a grove.

Along with that rustle, Xia Hong sensed the sword's overwhelming force and piercing power.

"Seven manes—nearly eight. No wonder he said I couldn't beat him!"

The instant his blade met the sword, Xia Hong gauged the Mirror Immortal's strength.

Over seventy-five thousand jin—approaching eighty thousand.

In just this short time, he had not only fully healed but grown several times stronger than before.

So this was the benefit of those nine thousand suicides!

Monsters grow stronger by killing.

The more they kill, the stronger they become.

Recalling the descriptions of monsters, Xia Hong's heart tightened—his dread of such beings surged to its peak.

"Ji ji ji ji, die, die! When you're dead, I'll swallow this furnace too. All those thousand-plus people in your valley camp will become my nourishment, ji ji ji ji…………"

The Mirror Immortal laughed wildly again—he felt his sword had already pierced Xia Hong's chest.

One more step forward, and it would pierce his heart.

"Don't celebrate too soon!"

Xia Hong's calm tone drove the Mirror Immortal into increasing madness.

He finally understood why he hated this feeling so much.

Because Xia Hong's demeanor was identical to He Yuanhun's.

Both radiated the same supreme confidence—their calm control, as if everything lay perfectly within their grasp.

As if all outcomes were already decided by them.

"Who the hell are you? Who the hell are you? How dare you? Dying and still boasting? Die! Die! DIE!"

The Mirror Immortal shrieked hysterically, ignoring the billowing black smoke from his pupils, charging at Xia Hong without regard for his own life, pouring every ounce of strength into his hands.

All he wanted was to kill this man.

Hu…………

But the next second, Xia Hong sidestepped—utterly ruining his plan.

This speed……

The Mirror Immortal's pupils shrank sharply; his shock hadn't even faded when a tremendous force from Xia Hong's Yi Dao slammed into his sword.

Xia Hong's sidestep had merely avoided the fatal heart strike.

The Mirror Immortal's sword still pierced through Xia Hong's armpit.

Blood gushed from the wound behind him, yet Xia Hong's expression remained icy calm.

His Yi Dao simply deflected the Mirror Immortal's sword, ignoring the chunk of flesh torn away, both hands reversed its grip, and with a sudden upward thrust, it rose from below.

Shhh…………

The blade moved too fast—like the rushing bamboo leaves before—its sound piercing and shrill.

Jing…………

The Mirror Immortal's longsword was directly knocked from his grasp.

The terrifying force not only shattered the mirror immortal's longsword, but also sent his body flying backward like a cannonball, crashing through the bamboo pavilion's wall twenty meters away with a thud.

Even after flying another five or six meters, he remained frozen in midair.

It wasn't just his body that was frozen.

Nor was it just his gaze.

The mirror immortal's face was filled with disbelief as he stared fixedly at Xia Hong inside the bamboo pavilion:

"How could your strength possibly…?"

A sharp blade of light slashed through the air from within the bamboo pavilion.

Xia Hong's slightly mocking voice followed.

"Who told you I only had six-man strength after my breakthrough?"

I've been fooled!

I've been fooled…

In the mirror immortal's pupils, only terror and dread remained.

As the blade rushed toward him, he forgot to dodge.

Pthssss…

(End of Chapter)